Goodman Estate Law

When families in Orange County ask about probate, the first question is usually how long it takes. The second is almost always how much it costs. The answer surprises many people, because in California the basic fees for a probate attorney and an executor are not negotiated case by case. They are set by statute, … Read more

Few moments are harder for a family than a hospital conversation about life-sustaining treatment. A doctor asks whether Mom has “a POLST” or “a DNR,” and the family realizes they are not sure what she signed, or whether the document they have in a folder at home is the one that matters. California uses several … Read more

The request comes up in almost every estate planning conversation that involves a difficult family relationship. A parent wants to leave things unequal, or leave someone out entirely, and asks whether there is a clause that will stop that person from fighting about it afterward. The answer is that California does allow a no-contest clause, … Read more

It is one of the more common situations we see, and one of the least anticipated. A family lives in Orange County. Somewhere along the way they bought a cabin near Big Bear that later became a place in Arizona, or a lake house in Idaho, or a rental condo in Nevada that a parent … Read more

It is one of the more common questions we hear, and it is usually asked a little sheepishly, as though it might not be a serious estate planning topic. It is. For a great many people the animal in the house is a genuine dependent, and the question of what happens to that animal is … Read more

It usually starts with something small. A bill goes unpaid even though there is money in the account. A parent tells the same story twice in one visit. A stack of unopened mail appears on the counter, or a new subscription shows up on a statement that nobody can explain. Adult children in this position … Read more

Since these accounts became fundable on July 4, 2026, we have had a steady stream of the same question from clients, usually from grandparents and from business owners who are hearing about them from two very different directions. Grandparents want to know whether this is a good way to give to a grandchild. Business owners … Read more

Families in Anaheim Hills, Yorba Linda, Villa Park, and the canyon communities know the routine. The wind picks up in late September, the air changes, and everyone checks their phone a little more often. Most seasons pass without incident. Some do not. Quick Answer In an evacuation, the originals worth taking are the ones that … Read more

Most estate plans are not wrong. They are simply out of date, and the gap between the two is where families run into trouble. A trust signed in 2015 was accurate in 2015. Since then a house may have been refinanced, a retirement account rolled over, a marriage ended, a child turned 18, or the … Read more

Most families discover the problem the same way. Someone passes away, and within a week a family member is sitting at a kitchen table with a laptop, trying to close an account, retrieve photographs, or simply find out what subscriptions are still being charged to a card. The password is unknown. The account recovery process … Read more